Donate food to drive, get free movie admission

In an effort to help needy families this holiday season, Canary Creek Cinemas is bringing back a Franklin Christmas tradition.

The movie theater will host a canned food drive at 10 a.m. Dec. 1. Anyone who brings a canned or nonperishable food item to the theater will be admitted to a special showing of “Arthur Christmas.” Monetary donations also will be accepted.

All of the donations will go to the Good Cheer Fund, an annual drive to provide food for the hungry in Johnson County.

Children are asked to continue to donate at their schools as well.

Cash donations from the community are used to buy fresh goods such as eggs, milk, bread and a Christmas ham, while canned goods collected by local schools supplement the baskets.

The drive revives similar efforts that used to take place at the Artcraft Theatre for close to 50 years, Canary Creek owner Mike Rembusch said. The Artcraft offered the community a free movie in exchange for food brought to the theater the day of the show. That food also helped support the Good Cheer Fund baskets.